Hot of the press today is news that the folks at zplane have released new versions of their PPMulator plug-in. This is from their press release... PPMulator V3 with EBU R128 Loudness Metering PPMulator is now available in two versions, the standard version for peak metering and the XL version for both peak and loudness metering.

Avid is tracking reports of kernal panics on HD Native systems after updating to Mac OS X 10.6.8. At this time they recommend that HD Native customers do not update to 10.6.8. I have to say I always wait until Avid/Digi approve the new version of the OS before updating, in fact I am still on 10.6.6 here.

The special offer of getting 50Gb when you sign up free to the beta test of Gobbler's on line DAW back up system is coming to an end. Sign up now and you will gert 50GB of space which you can keep when they start charging around $8 per month for the service. After today when you sign up you will get 25Gb of space which you can keep for around $8 per month once they start charging.  Also by signing up you can help me climb up the scoreboard where I am currently 6th. Thanks, Mike

I posted my previous post on the Avid Audio Forum or DUC and it has created some interest so I replied with this post... If you just want a replacement for iDisk then there are a number of services out there like YouSendIt, Dreamhost, Jungledisk etc. But the great advantage that Gobbler brings is intelligent Pro Tools (and other DAWs) backup services as well as the promise of a range of other services including being able to send clients approval files and the possibility of using the same app to back up intelligently on to local drives too. Remember Mezzo? All this for the same money as Dreamhost. Remember June 27th is the last day to sign up for the beta and get 50GB of space.

I recently had an iLok problem when I upgraded my Waves Mercury & Studio Classics collection to v8. With all the new plug-ins they have released recently there are 121 licenses in the bundle and the maximum an original iLok can fit on is 118 so it was a new 2nd generation iLok for me. I must admit up to this point I hadn't seen the point of them, but now I was faced with a real benefit!

Apple have announced today that iWeb publishing, MobileMe Gallery, and iDisk will all disappear as the company sunsets its current online service in favour of iCloud, according to a new MobileMe transition guide. The existing features won’t disappear immediately, though: Apple says that it will continue to host MobileMe websites and Galleries and keep iDisk operational through June 30, 2012. Thanks Apple. One of the main features and why I choose to pay for Mobile Me is to use iDisk to send approval files to clients. So I am going to have to find another service to help me do this. Makes Gobbler even more attractive!

There are many software packages you can use to do this for whichever platform you are using but the main two players are… Itunes The podcasts directory in the iTunes Store is where you find and subscribe to new podcasts: The Podcasts section of your Library is where you manage your existing subscriptions and play the episodes you have downloaded:

The shed, wooden icon of escape and isolation. Barry and Jimmy, friends since school days, find themselves slipping inexorably and almost unconsciously into middle age. Wednesday night saw the last episode of Shedtown.

Podcasts bring together blogging and audio so it s a kind of audio blog. Podcasting involves the creation and distribution of multimedia files, such as audio files (most commonly, MP3s) or videos, over the Internet for playback on mobile devices and personal computers. The term podcast, like 'radio', can mean both the content and the method of delivery.

            The world’s most advanced pitch-shifting and time-shifting processor, SoundShifter lets you change keys, change tempos, change durations, and manipulate the time-pitch continuum with unmatched accuracy and clarity. For tonal transformation and transposition, SoundShifter is simply all you'll ever need.

Gobbler have released a number of tutorials to explain how their system, which is still in beta, works. The first tutorial shows you how to backup your files into the cloud using Gobbler.

We are pleased to announce the highly anticipated Sonnox Fraunhofer Pro-Codec is now available. Watch a video here to learn more about this revolutionary new plug-in, or read more on the website. The Pro-Codec is compatible with Pro Tools and many other VST and Audio Units applications on both Windows and Macs and retails for £295 GBP ($495 USD). Get a free 15-day demo here. Perceptual Coding Explained At a recent press event in Frankfurt, one of the original developers of the MP3 format, Dr. Bernhard Grill (Head of Audio at Fraunhofer), provided an insight into perceptual coding techniques and how the human ear works. This is followed by a live demonstration of the Pro-Codec. Watch footage of this press event  

Wave Arts have updated most of their plug-ins... The Mac versions of Power Suite, Master Restoration Suite and Tube Saturator have been updated, with a few important bug fixes. See the revision history for details: http://wavearts.com/downloads/version-history/ Updates can be downloaded here: http://wavearts.com/downloads/ Their Mac plug-ins are not yet 64-bit native but they are planning to have this ready later this year! Dialog Review   Among other positive feedback about our their post-production for voice plug-in Dialog, Simeon Amburgey of Sound Creations, Inc. posted his review: I am hoping to write my own review here too soon.

This is a new on line backup system and it reads the Pro Tools session file and so backs up everything that is in the session. It reminds me a bit of Mezzo which was the only app that would read the Pro Tools session file and then backup what was needed. So that functionality has returned from the clever people at Gobbler and they are running the service in beta for free at the moment to shake it doen and find all the snags. However the current offer of 50GB of space will not last for ever. As long as youf sign up before June 27th you will get the 50GB of space. After 27th June when you sign up you will get 25GB of space on Gobbler's servers. But remember if you sign up before 27th June you will get to keep your 50Gb when they start charging for the base price of around $8 per month. Those who sign up after 27th June will get to keep 25GB of space for around $8 a month so sign up now and get that extra space.

Gillian Reynolds Has written a lovely little review in The Daily Telegraph   We’re half way through Tony Pitts’s blackly comic series, about a strange seaside place where odd people live. At three in the morning someone is screaming. It’s the kind of thing that happens in Shedtown down by the bay, where dogs arrive as parcels in the post. It’s a bit like Under Milk Wood with touches of Father Ted. And it’s curiously addictive, the vivid, dreamlike script given life by a marvellous cast, including Suranne Jones, Ronni Ancona and Johnny Vegas as Colin (a thoughtful melancholic). Tonight: a puppet show about 9/11. Wow, "a bit like Under Milk Wood" praise indeed. This episode certainly had some sound design challenges, not least creating the unwrapping of a dog sent through the post in a parcel!! And the night screams were fun to record on the beach, we certainly got some very strange looks from passers by. All great fun.

In preparing the previous post I have just noticed this offer, on the Waves Special Offers page, which with all the coverage on the HD Native card, including my own review in Sound on Sound, I thought it would be worth bringing it to your attention in case, like me, you had missed it. To take advantage of this special offer, registered Avid Pro Tools|HD Native users will need: 1. The Avid Pro Tools|HD Native registration confirmation (received when registering your Pro Tools|HD Native system.) 2. To download and complete the Waves order & authorization form. 3. Fax or email the two documents to +1-865-909-9212 or orders@waves.com. Your Waves Gold serial number will be sent to you by email.  

    Waves continue to compete on price by offering more and more single plug-ins at much more accessable prices.  

Last night Radio 4 broadcast the 2nd episode of Shedtown, a 4 part comedy starring Johnny Vegas.   "Foundations" written by Kevin Eldon in which, Colin (Johnny Vegas) is all at sea as the foundations of Jimmy's dream take shape on the beach. Wes and Father Michael witness the profits of some not-so-spiritual meat.  

Waves are really working hard at their pricing structure with up to 30% off the bigger bundles....   Here are some examples...

Miranda Sawyer in The Observer at the weekend has reviewed Shedtown. She wrote... Shedtown, a new programme from Johnny Vegas's production company, was far from ranty: a strange drama/comedy/soundscape, narrated by Maxine Peake, it took advantage of its 11pm slot to offer something much more dreamy and hilarious than the usual wait-for-the-laughter Radio 4 fare. It's about the final works trip for the staff of a failed museum. They go to the seaside. The jokes came in under the radar: "What can I get you?" asked the barmaid. "Peace of mind," said Barry. "I want a pint, me," said Dave. The barmaid talked them through the new menu, which included chicken catch-a-Tory. I am proud that she used 'soundscape' in her description of Shedtown as I worked hard to provide an aural wash of sound to support the narrative. More about the next episode soon....